Budget 2019: a turning point for cities and communities

Budget 2019 delivers major results for Canadians—directly through their local governments. From doubling this year’s federal Gas Tax Fund transfer to prioritizing universal broadband, this budget elevates the federal-municipal partnership as the way to build better lives.

This learning module and toolkit focuses on community branding and marketing—an important part of any local economic development strategy. The curriculum highlights the methodology and processes necessary to identify, articulate and launch a community brand. Developed in collaboration with overseas partners, the curriculum is based on best practices and the real-life experience of Canadian and other communities worldwide. It has now been taught and implemented in numerous partner cities.

This learning module and toolkit provides a self-guided learning experience using PowerPoint presentations, international and Canadian case studies, video footage and other resources. We encourage you to work through the content at your own pace, using whatever elements are applicable to your needs. Keep in mind that community branding and marketing is only a part of, and must be soundly rooted in, a comprehensive LED strategy.

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Would you like to receive this resource by email? Contact us today. In your request, please include the full name of the resource.

This learning module and toolkit focuses on community branding and marketing—an important part of any local economic development strategy. The curriculum highlights the methodology and processes necessary to identify, articulate and launch a community brand. Developed in collaboration with overseas partners, the curriculum is based on best practices and the real-life experience of Canadian and other communities worldwide. It has now been taught and implemented in numerous partner cities.

This learning module and toolkit provides a self-guided learning experience using PowerPoint presentations, international and Canadian case studies, video footage and other resources. We encourage you to work through the content at your own pace, using whatever elements are applicable to your needs. Keep in mind that community branding and marketing is only a part of, and must be soundly rooted in, a comprehensive LED strategy.

Request this resource

Would you like to receive this resource by email? Contact us today. In your request, please include the full name of the resource.

Canadians care about the impact of cannabis legalization and municipal governments will be the first place they turn to if they have concerns. Developing the rules and processes that will govern the legalization of non-medical cannabis is a complex task. Municipalities will need to make critical decisions about how and when to write new bylaws on a range of issues including land use planning, business licensing and public consumption.

FCM designed the Municipal Guide to Cannabis Legalization to provide an overview of the work ahead for local governments and offer both policy and regulatory options to choose from. It will take coordinated effort from all orders of government to ensure that Canadians are safe and well-served during the process of cannabis legalization. This guide can help communities get it right.

Canadians care about the impact of cannabis legalization and municipal governments will be the first place they turn to if they have concerns. Developing the rules and processes that will govern the legalization of non-medical cannabis is a complex task. Municipalities will need to make critical decisions about how and when to write new bylaws on a range of issues including land use planning, business licensing and public consumption.

FCM designed the Municipal Guide to Cannabis Legalization to provide an overview of the work ahead for local governments and offer both policy and regulatory options to choose from. It will take coordinated effort from all orders of government to ensure that Canadians are safe and well-served during the process of cannabis legalization. This guide can help communities get it right.

Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) President Vicki-May Hamm issued the following statement to mark the legalization of non-medical cannabis across Canada today.

“Today marks a significant shift in how our society operates. From public safety to retail services, to transit and labour law, keeping Canadians safe and well-served in a world of legal cannabis will require significant coordination among all orders of government.

“Local governments are on the front lines of cannabis legalization. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities has been helping cities and communities get ready nationwide by providing tools and engaging our various partners. We also know that keeping Canadians safe and well-served will require a clear framework for sharing the costs that come with this new policy.

“Legalization has operational and cost implications for as many as 17 municipal departments. This is why the federal government also released half of its share of cannabis excise tax revenues to provinces and territories—to support municipalities. Yet, only three provinces have revealed plans to share those funds with local governments. Too many of our members across Canada do not have any clarity on how cannabis costs will be covered through provincial revenue sharing frameworks. As the lead on cannabis legalization, the Government of Canada will need to ensure adequate revenue-sharing plans are in place and municipalities are made whole for the costs of this federal policy.

“In September 2017, the federal government also committed $81 million to help our local police services manage a reality of legal cannabis—including through training and technology to tackle drug-impaired driving. Yet as legalization day comes and goes, we are still waiting for details on how this support will flow.

“Local governments have been hard at work changing bylaws, building capacity and engaging citizens to get ready for legalization. Canadians can count on local leaders to be ready to adapt to challenges on the road ahead. One challenge we cannot tackle alone, however, is ensuring local costs are fully and sustainably covered for this new federal initiative.

“Safe and effective cannabis legalization requires collaboration across orders of government and municipalities are ready to do their part. We all need to work together to get this right.”

Vicki-May Hamm is President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and Mayor of the City of Magog, Quebec. FCM is the national voice of local government, with nearly 2,000 members representing more than 90 per cent of Canada’s population.

“To see a Canadian province invoke the Notwithstanding Clause to change the size of a city council, in the middle of an election campaign, is unprecedented. On behalf of FCM’s Big City Mayors’ Caucus, I am offering full support to the City of Toronto’s efforts to protect local democracy.

“Canadians are now stuck in a Constitutional debate, when we have not even tested the limits of how governments can work together within the Constitution. The levers to modernize the relationship already exist.

“Certainly, there is nothing unconstitutional about sitting down together to talk about solving problems, funding cities mandates directly, and creating a forum where municipal governments address our nation’s challenges with their provincial and federal counterparts as equals. It just takes political will from every order of government.

“Mayors are pragmatists. Every day, municipal governments are delivering city-based solutions to national challenges, from economic productivity to public safety. And increasingly, Canadians expect us to share the lead on emerging challenges—from stemming the opioid crisis, to building innovative economies, to settling new Canadians in our communities.

“It is time for a mature, modern conversation about how we work together to make life better for Canadians. Canada’s mayors are ready.”

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) is the national voice of municipal governments, with nearly 2,000 members representing more than 90 per cent of the Canadian population.

Since 2001, these awards have celebrated the most innovative environmental initiatives in Canadian cities and communities of all sizes. The winning projects demonstrate sustainability best practices you can apply to similar initiatives in your community. These awards are presented biannually to outstanding municipal projects in several categories:

Asset management

Brownfields

Climate change

Energy

Sustainable neighbourhood revitalization and design

Transportation

Waste

Water

Winners in each category are nominated for the Inspire Award, which is given to the project that demonstrates the most creativity and innovation.

"Canada's opioid crisis continues at a horrifying pace. The families, front-line workers, volunteers and communities enduring the worst of this emergency deserve action from all orders of government. And with an estimated 3,000 opioid-related deaths expected this year alone, the urgency of response is clear.

"Wednesday's announcement by the Minster of Health to move to expand treatment options and reduce barriers and support those fighting on the frontlines of the crisis is an important step forward. Authorizing drug-checking services at supervised consumption sites, easing legislative barriers to establishing overdose prevention sites and commitments to develop peer-driven public awareness campaigns respond directly to some of the Big City Mayors' Caucus' recommendations released earlier this year.

"There is still significant work ahead to ensure a coordinated national response by all orders of government, including municipalities and Indigenous communities. Federal leadership is urgently needed to establish comprehensive timelines, measures and evidenced-based targets for the harm reduction, treatment, prevention and enforcement responses to the overdose crisis. An intergovernmental plan must align actions and resources with the essential work on the ground and respond to the specific needs of municipalities and Indigenous communities.

"Being on the front lines of this crisis, Canada's cities have consistently called for all orders of government to be working together in a co-ordinated, pan-Canadian response to end this tragic epidemic.

"As we recognize the progress in Wednesday's announcement, we also look forward to meeting with the Health Minister to further align our actions to solve this national health crisis."

The BCMC Task Force on the Opioid Crisis convenes mayors of 13 cities: Vancouver, Surrey, Edmonton, Calgary, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Hamilton, London, Kitchener, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. The Task Force was launched on February 3, 2017, by the Big-City Mayors' Caucus of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

The Government of Canada and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) are proud to announce the not-for-profit organizations chosen to help 72 municipalities across Canada strengthen their resilience to the effects of climate change.

Each of FCM's climate adaptation partners will provide expertise and guidance to a network of at least five municipalities that face similar geographic or climate conditions. They will design peer learning networks focused on climate change resilience activities and deliver training specific to their participating municipalities.

Municipalities are on the front lines of climate change, making this work critical. With this guidance and support, participating municipalities will work with their peers toward similar goals using innovative approaches and solutions to the challenges they face. They will learn how to integrate climate change adaptation into new or existing plans and systems. The result will be a range of products including climate vulnerability assessments, adaptation plans for coastal communities, risk assessment for energy utilities, and cost-analyses of the benefits of integrating natural asset management.

For example, the Institut national de recherche scientifique (INRS) will work with six communities in the Outaouais region to develop stormwater management and flood intervention plans that respond to both regional and specific municipal concerns. Conservation Corps in Newfoundland and Labrador will work with the Miawpukek First Nation Reserve and five other communities to develop vulnerability assessments and/or response plans, as well as tools and case studies for future sharing.

Quotes

Protecting the environment and growing the economy go hand in hand. The Government of Canada is committed to invest in sustainable infrastructure that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, contributes to a clean growth economy and strengthens the middle class by ensuring communities are healthy and productive places to live. Thanks to the Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program, we continue to engage with municipalities across Canada to help build 21st century communities that will provide a high quality of life for generations to come.
— The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

FCM is proud to help communities lead the way on environmental, social and economic sustainability. After all, municipalities are on the front lines of climate change. This initiative will empower local leaders with skills and tools to build more climate-resilient communities - in ways that can guide and inspire other municipalities across Canada.
— Jenny Gerbasi, FCM President

Funding for these initiatives comes from FCM's climate adaptation partner grants. These grants are available through the Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program (MCIP) delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and funded by the Government of Canada. MCIP is a five-year, $75-million program designed to support and encourage Canadian municipalities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.

The Government of Canada and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) are proud to announce the not-for-profit organizations chosen to help 72 municipalities across Canada strengthen their resilience to the effects of climate change.

Each of FCM's climate adaptation partners will provide expertise and guidance to a network of at least five municipalities that face similar geographic or climate conditions. They will design peer learning networks focused on climate change resilience activities and deliver training specific to their participating municipalities.

Municipalities are on the front lines of climate change, making this work critical. With this guidance and support, participating municipalities will work with their peers toward similar goals using innovative approaches and solutions to the challenges they face. They will learn how to integrate climate change adaptation into new or existing plans and systems. The result will be a range of products including climate vulnerability assessments, adaptation plans for coastal communities, risk assessment for energy utilities, and cost-analyses of the benefits of integrating natural asset management.

For example, the Institut national de recherche scientifique (INRS) will work with six communities in the Outaouais region to develop stormwater management and flood intervention plans that respond to both regional and specific municipal concerns. Conservation Corps in Newfoundland and Labrador will work with the Miawpukek First Nation Reserve and five other communities to develop vulnerability assessments and/or response plans, as well as tools and case studies for future sharing.

Quotes

Protecting the environment and growing the economy go hand in hand. The Government of Canada is committed to invest in sustainable infrastructure that reduces greenhouse gas emissions, contributes to a clean growth economy and strengthens the middle class by ensuring communities are healthy and productive places to live. Thanks to the Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program, we continue to engage with municipalities across Canada to help build 21st century communities that will provide a high quality of life for generations to come.
— The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities

FCM is proud to help communities lead the way on environmental, social and economic sustainability. After all, municipalities are on the front lines of climate change. This initiative will empower local leaders with skills and tools to build more climate-resilient communities - in ways that can guide and inspire other municipalities across Canada.
— Jenny Gerbasi, FCM President

Funding for these initiatives comes from FCM's climate adaptation partner grants. These grants are available through the Municipalities for Climate Innovation Program (MCIP) delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and funded by the Government of Canada. MCIP is a five-year, $75-million program designed to support and encourage Canadian municipalities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.

This new polling, conducted by Abacus Data and commissioned by FCM, reveals that 61% of Canadians feel their municipal government best understood the challenges facing their communities, compared to the provincial or federal orders of government.